Despite a career night from Jamison Battle, Minnesota couldn't pull through to defeat Maryland on the road. They lost the game 84-73, and now have just one regular season game left this Sunday against Northwestern. Here are three key takeaways from the loss to Maryland last night.
Gophers Struggle To Protect The Paint
It hurt not having Eric Curry last night, as the Gophers lacked high major experience in the post, and that also led to Minnesota going small with Jamison Battle and Sean Sutherlin at the 4/5 spots most of the second half. With this, the Gophers didn't have a rim protector who could alter shots around the basket. There were times Maryland was able to get post touches, and even if they missed they were able to go right back up for a putback because of the size advantage. Other times it was taking advantage of their quick guards, particularly Fatts Russell, as they could blow by the initial defender to get into the lane and make plays. Minnesota has struggled a lot with those smaller and quicker guards this season. All of this led to Maryland scoring an impressive 46 points in the paint last night.
Career Night From Jamison Battle
Last night Jamison Battle was doing everything he could offensively to keep Minnesota in the game. The Gophers started off hot from three, and that included a handful of first half makes from Battle as he finished the first half with 20 points. Throughout the game he mixed in a pair of dunks, some short/mid-range jumpers and floaters, as well as his usual deep threes that he was hitting with confidence. Yes he was taking far more shots than anyone else, but he was still shooting it better from the field and from three than the team did as a whole last night. It was a career high 39 points from the George Washington transfer, but it still wasn't enough for the Gophers to get a win.
Limited Depth Hurts
Without Eric Curry last night, Minnesota had a shorter rotation than they already did. They started Charlie Daniels but ended up playing him just 13 minutes, while their other two bigs (Danny Ogele and Treyton Thompson) combined for just six minutes. The three of them in their 19 minutes combined for zero points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 block. I know Minnesota started to play Battle and Sutherlin as the "five" down the stretch, but that type of production from your bigs isn't going to win you games. It was an off night from their guard depth as well though. Luke Loewe was making some big plays defensively but finished with just 5 points and 1 assist. EJ Stephens couldn't find his shooting stroke either as he shot 2-9 in his 40 minutes of play, although the 8 rebounds was a bright spot. It didn't help that Payton Willis was missing some time with foul trouble as well, as he was scoring the ball efficiently throughout his 30 minutes.
What's Next For Minnesota?
The Gophers cap off the regular season this Sunday on the road at Northwestern. The game tips at 6:30pm central time, and will be aired on the Big Ten Network. These two teams met in mid-February with Minnesota coming away with a 77-60 win at home. This will be a shot for Minnesota to end the year with a win, so we'll see if they come ready to compete and can get the job done!
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